1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a microscope system in which a sample being evaluated is maintained at a stationary position, but selected optics of the microscope can be moved in each of x, y, and z directions to view different fields of views of the sample, without moving the viewing ports for the microscope.
2. Discussion of the Background
A background microscope 10 structure is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, in the background microscope 10 a stage 11 is provided on which a slide 12 can be placed. The slide 12 contains a sample to be viewed. As graphically represented by the arrows 17 and 18 in FIG. 1, the stage 11 is movable in both x and y directions so that it can be positioned at any x, y position.
An objective 13 is positioned either above or below the stage 11. The objective 13 is provided to focus onto a specific portion or field of view of the sample to be viewed. The objective 13 is movable in the z direction, i.e., up and down, as illustrated by the arrow 16. The image viewed by the objective 13 is provided to a mirror 14, which reflects the image into remaining microscope optics 15. The microscope optics 15 include a tube lens, viewing ports, an epi-fluorescence excitation emission if the microscope operates in fluorescence, optics and/or transmitted light optics if the microscope is a transmitted light microscope, etc.
The operation of the background microscope 10 of FIG. 1 is as follows. An operator of the microscope 10 places the sample to be viewed onto the slide 12, and secures the slide 12 onto the stage 11. The operator then moves the stage 11 in the x and y directions until the objective 13 is either directly above or directly below (depending on whether the objective is positioned above or below the sample) the desired portion of the sample to be viewed. Then the objective 13 can be moved up and down in the z direction to properly focus at the desired point or field of view on the sample.
In the background microscope 10 of FIG. 1, when the microscope operator wishes to view a different point or field of view on the sample, the operator moves the stage 11 in the x and y directions as indicated by arrows 17 and 18 to position the next desired point of the sample above or below the objective 13. When the operator desires to view further points on the sample the operator must continue to reposition the stage 111 or slide 12 so that the appropriate desired points of the sample are above or below the objective 13.
That operation of having to move the stage 11 or slide 12 to view different points on the sample in the background microscope 10 of FIG. 1, however, gives rise to certain drawbacks recognized by the inventor of the present invention. Specifically, there are instances in which a sample to be viewed is extremely delicate and in which movement of the stage 11 holding the sample or slide 12 may disrupt the sample. That may be particularly the case when a sample is being viewed at a cellular level as movements of the sample held on the stage 11 may displace or disrupt cells desired to be viewed.
Further, in the background microscope 10 of FIG. 1 there is no ability to attach microscopically sensitive devices, such as micropipettes, to a specimen as such microscopically sensitive devices would be displaced when the stage 11 is moved.
Also, the present inventor recognized that in the background microscope if multiple samples, such as contained in a multi-well plate, are to be examined, it is difficult to view kinetic reaction in the samples in the multi-well plate in real time if it is required to constantly move the samples to be beneath an objective. That results because the movement of the different samples underneath the objective may disrupt the reactions sought to be observed.
A simple dissecting microscope is also known. A simple dissecting microscope is a microscope which is small and simple and so is entirely movable. Such a simple dissecting microscope can be moved, for example by rotating around a central axis, to be positioned above an appropriate point on a sample desired to be viewed. The drawbacks with such an entirely movable microscope is that the microscope cannot be made particularly large or complicated as the entire microscope must be moved. That is, a proposition of moving an entire microscope is only feasible with simple microscopes and with microscopes that do not have any significant attachments thereto. At the present time microscopy is becoming more and more sophisticated and complicated and it is often desirable for a microscope to have very sophisticated optics, to include attachments such as cameras on the microscope, etc. Such complications make it unfeasible to move an entire microscope and maintain a sample at a stationary position.
Also, a further drawback with a microscope which can entirely move is that the viewing optics themselves must move so that the microscope operator has to constantly move around with the movement of the microscope.